Former European Tour player Liam Bond won the Senior PGA Professional Championship after shooting rounds of 65 and 70 at West Essex Golf Club.
Bond’s seven-under-par total saw him finish two shots ahead of Barry Austin (Downes Crediton GC), with Richard O’Hanlon (St Kew) and Michael Watson (Wessex GC) a further shot back in tied third.
Despite the clear margin of victory in the end, the result was in doubt up until the final hole. Holding a two-shot lead after his superb opening 65, Bond soon found himself two shots in arrears after Watson got off to a fast start on Friday’s final round, making birdies at the first three holes, while Bond dropped a shot at the first.
But three bogeys in a row from the 11th and another at the par-4 17th derailed Watson’s hopes of victory. Meanwhile, Austin and O’Hanlon had been keeping the leading pair within range and ready to gate crash their seemingly private battle. That is until O’Hanlon recorded bogeys at 16 and 17, by which time Austin had drawn level with Bond on six-under courtesy of a two-shot swing at the par-three 15th.
However, the Devonshire man was on the wrong end of a two-shot swing two holes later as a miscued drive resulted in a bogey and Bond, taking full advantage, holed a 12-foot putt for a birdie. Which, for the winner, was long overdue.
“It was a tough day and harder than I wanted it to be,” said Bond, who is a self-employed golf coach and inventor of the Tour Rotation Stick training aid. “I lost the lead after three holes, but I stuck at what I’d been doing all week – which was to keep clear of any trouble – and hopefully the putts would drop at some point. Unfortunately for me it took until 17 before one did. When it did, there was a two-shot swing and that took me into a comfort zone really.”
That comfort zone meant a safety-first approach to the par-five 18th that, negotiated in regulation, resulted in a one-under-par 70 and seven-under total of 135 for the tournament.
“Anything under par round here is pretty good, because it’s a tough little course,” Bond added. “Two rounds under-par – I’m quite happy with that.”
In addition to the £6,000 first prize, Bond – along with the other top 14 finishers in the tournament – qualified for the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship at Formby later this month.
“My goal now is to get my category done and dusted on the Legends Tour, so I’ve got somewhere to play for the next few years,” said Bond. “If I can have a couple of good weeks in those events that will do that for me. It’s great to add another tournament to my schedule for this year.”
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